TRENDING UPThe ground attack: One of the weakest areas of Michigan’s inconsistent 2013 offense, the U-M ground game tore up the Mountaineers to the tune of 364 yards on 36 carries. Most of it came from the two-man attack of Derrick Green (15 carries, 174 yards, 1 touchdown) and De’Veon Smith (8 carries, 115 yards, 2 touchdowns), who combined to take the game over after quarterback Devin Gardner and wideout Devin Funchess padded the score with three early touchdowns. The Michigan rushing game produced little traction early, but once the offensive line began producing vast holes, the backs were off and running.

Devin Gardner: Having emphasized bringing more control and consistency to his game in the off-season, Gardner was both efficient and effective in his three quarters of action. The Michigan quarterback completed 13-of-14 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns, all of which landed in the hands of Devin Funchess. Gardner’s lone incompletion came on a pass thrown behind Funchess on third-and-11 in the first half, but he was otherwise perfect on Saturday.

First-team defense: For the day, Michigan held App State to just 280 yards on 69 plays, a 4.1 yard-per-play average. Most of that, bolstered by a 19-play, 96-yard drive, came after halftime with Michigan’s first-team defense watching from the sidelines and the game already well out of reach. Brady Hoke was disappointed with the lack of turnovers produced, but the U-M defense held the Mountaineers to only three first-half first downs and all but eliminated any big-play opportunities, making for a long day for App State.

TRENDING DOWNTight ends: With Jake Butt still recovering from a torn ACL and meniscus and former star tight end Devin Funchess lined up at wideout, Michigan got minimum production from the tight end position with two receptions. Backup Khalid Hill caught one pass for 12 yards, while starter A.J. Williams went without a reception. Keith Heitman caught a pass for 26 yards. In fairness, though, with Michigan completing 16-of-19 passes on Saturday, there were few deficiencies in the passing game.

HOLDING STEADYSpecial teams: Kicker Matt Wile, in his first game handling primary kickoff and placekicking duties, made 1-of-2 attempts, knocking a 48-yard attempt off the an upright and making an 18-yard attempt. The day was highlighted by a blocked punt returned for a touchdown by Ben Gedeon, while Will Hagerup, returning to action after a yearlong suspension, hit one punt traveling 46 yards, landing inside the App State 20-yard line. Five of Wile’s nine kickoffs were touchbacks.

Shane Morris: Replacing Devin Garder after two series in the second half, Michigan’s sophomore quarterback was mostly tasked with running the clock out in U-M’s blowout win. Morris completed 3-of-5 passes for 37 yards, including one pass play for 26, and spent most of his time handing off to a Wolverine run game in full control of the game.

Brendan F. Quinn covers University of Michigan basketball and football. Follow him on Twitter for the latest on Wolverines hoops. He can be contacted at bquinn@mlive.com